09 October 2013

National Park Service – American Brown Shirts (updated 10oct13)

George Rebane

It will be harder than ever for our progressive neighbors to deny that platoons of federal agency workers are just a phone call away from reverting to local units of government goons. Recall that these people are in jobs of last resort, they would not be hired by anyone in the private sector. They are utterly loyal to the only hand that will feed them. And the beast reveals itself more with every passing month and opportunity.

Of all the reports coming in about the conduct of federal agencies during this government shutdown, this editorial in the forthcoming Weekly Standard is most revealing of what we are really dealing with. “No surprise then that one park ranger explained to the Washington Times last week, ‘We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can.’ ” (and more here)

The first question that comes to mind is ‘who did the telling?’ But my more urgent question is ‘Where in hell are the local county sheriffs when the federal government straps on their brown shirts and jack boots?’

[10oct13 update] Congressman Tom McClintock made these remarks on the floor of the House yesterday about "the deliberate decision by the Administration to amplify the public’s suffering and inconvenience during this stalemate.

This government has gone through 18 shutdowns in the last 37 years but NEVER has a President barricaded open air venues like national memorials. Indeed, he has gone so far as to forbid the use of turnouts on public roads that offer passersby distant views of Mt. Rushmore and Yosemite. He has ordered people out of their own homes or ordered businesses to close just because they lease their land from the federal government. He has even tried to close the Atlantic Ocean to Florida fishermen.

In the past, Presidents have done everything they could to minimize the impacts of shutdowns; this President is going to ridiculous extremes to maximize the suffering that people must endure. On park ranger told a reporter, 'We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.'"

Libs are going to be hard pressed to keep blaming the Right for this attack
on the general public. ( This is "O" and Co. all they way)
The only people really happy about this, is the enviro gang that has always wanted people forbidden from setting foot on "nature's beauty".
Be careful of what you wish for. Now it applies to you.
The Prius and Subaru are not your "pass " through the gates.
If your not a FED employee, the parks are not yours to see anymore.
They have it all to themselves now.

We all know of the people that set up camp for weeks at a time on FED land, and it's usually not a pretty sight. Has "the man" gone out of his way (this time) to send them packing?

When I was elected County Supervisor, one of my first acts was firing a man from EH who had been abusing people he was regulating. His power went to his head. Luckily he was not vested yet and could be fired for cause. The problem we have is the civil service/union agreements with wimp ass elected officials that make it almost impossible to fire these slime buckets who treat the citizens as if they were serfs. We have to over haul Civil Service and we need to disallow public unions.

Hear about the founder of Yubanet?
He was supposed to be locked up till Holder's boys
showed up.(immigration hold) According to the arrest log, he is no longer in custody.
I guess the new Ca. sanctuary law is working as intended.
I find it hard to believe that ICE would spend those FED bucks to haul him away,
especially with the great government shut down and all. There are too may free citizens that may try and trod on publi ... I mean Government property.
Gotta keep those priorities straight.

Perhaps I missed it but I found no reference to the Weekly Standard in the "this editorial " link you cited . Instead it goes to something called Red
State, hardly a credible journalistic source. Can you help me on this?

I just clicked on the hyper-linked 'this editorial' and it took me to the Weekly Standard. Or you can Google 'Weekly Standard' and get there that way. Red State is not credible, Paul? Or do they have opinions you do not share? That's not a definition of 'not credible'. Our president is an example of 'not credible'.

Perhaps I missed it but I found no reference to the Weekly Standard in the "this editorial " link you cited .

Perhaps I missed it but you never responded yesterday when I inquired of you if you were okay with the employees of a government organization with a direct line to the president treating US citizens in the way now being widely reported?

Apparently fish is having a hard time getting an answer to a question from yesterday: "Perhaps I missed it but you never responded yesterday when I inquired of you if you were okay with the employees of a government organization with a direct line to the president treating US citizens in the way now being widely reported?"

Oooh, oooh, pick me, pick me!

First, a direct line? Still waiting for proof that this is so.

But besides that, in the chess game that is ongoing, this is rooks and bishops doin' the nasty.

In the cobalt blue refuge known as S.F. is getting a taste of private business
getting hosed and threatened. The Cliff house was forced to close.

Now that the real fact that "O" and Co. are behind these so-called fiscal shut downs, the natives are getting restless.
Yes, even true blue LIBS can see just who is behind this. It was just good sport
to climb on the band wagon and point the finger at Conservatives. That was before
what was going on, had no effect on them. NOW that it's biting them in the butt,
they are going after the real source. Nancy P. and Dirty Harry.
You need to dig through S.F. gate to see that. No way will The Cron. come out and say it. ( but the readers are)

Ellen and I were in Wash DC the last part of September to visit friends, the Arlington National Cemetery and Great Falls on the Potomac, but we escaped to Delaware before the Great Closing was enforced by the National Park Thugs.

We cheering when the WWII Vet crashed through the barriers at their memorial, and visitor to Mt Rushmore picked up the highway cones blocking the over looks and threw then into the canyon. From photos being posted on Facebook and Twitter there is more civil disobedience underway across the nation. There is a rumbling rolling across the nation and I think that the our Community Organizers in Residence is going to regret his thuggery. The Park Police and the National Park Rangers thuggery will become the indelible signature of this shut down.

Here are some thought on the issue from the Diplomad who served Reagan and Clinton in past shutdowns and has some experience with how these past leaders handled the situation, and his is not impressed with the current Community Organizer residing in the White House.

This man [Obama] is just a practitioner of community organizer thuggery. As I have written before and others, too, the most blatant example of this thuggery, one not even the MSM can ignore, has been the use and abuse of the National Park police to terrorize and threaten Americans to stay away from the parks and monuments which the American people have paid to maintain. There are, of course, many other examples: his use of the ATF to arm Mexican gangs to give law abiding American gun owners a bad rap; the use of the IRS to crush political dissent; the use of the NSA to eavesdrop on American citizens; and now the Obamacare fiasco to grab control of health care and the infinite amount of sensitive data associated with it. The Park police abuse, however, remains the one that will be the iconic feature of this absurd "shutdown."

Leave it to LIB news to point to the real reason. ( at least in his mind.)

MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks he’s got it figured out.
It’s not Obama’s unwillingness to negotiate. It’s not the Democrat’s unwillingness to cut spending.
It’s the Constitution’s fault that we are having stalemates and shutdowns.

“The political disfunction that has brought about the shutdown and now threatens default, isn’t so much gridlock. It is exposing the fatal flaw in our Constitution and highly distinct system of government. In other words, it’s the Constitution’s fault. Something truly catastrophic was bound to happen sooner or later.”

I recall "O" having the same opinion of that sheep skin. How dare a document over 200 years old dictate just what government can and can't do.

It's just SO much easier to be a dictator.
"O" has his chance to use those "dictator" powers right now. HE can give the order to give our dead heros what they and their families are owed.
HE can order public property returned to the public.
But NOPE... THIS dictator wants pain and misery upon his subjects.

Direct line: USPS employees>USPS line level management>Jonathan Jarvis (Agency Executive-Director of US Park Service )>Dept. of the Interior, Sally Jewell - United States Secretary of the Interior and member of the presidents cabinet.

One of the more memorable scenes from The Untouchables. Connery and Costner were well cast.

It should be noted that Jarvis and Jewell are both Presidential appointees and can be expected to know which side of the bread is buttered, and we have the question, are you "okay with [executive branch employees] treating US citizens in the way now being widely reported?".

Sorry fish, maybe I'm just too dense. Your direct line example seems to me like a lot of people in between President Obama and boots on the ground.

But whatever, I totally agree that bullies and thuggish behavior is the wrong way to be in the world. But some people choose it, and I call them on it, as do you, and then we see where it gets us. We're not going to stop it, so yes, I am OK with it. I just wish people would choose a higher path, including myself. But I can't change the world and nor can you.

I am absolutely positively sure you understand what I am saying here, fish.

As for Greg, your Blanche DuBois interpretation is less than satisfying. I would take acting classes if this is where you are headed, though as my father told me in 1972, "if you want a career in classical acting you'd best move to a First World country where such a thing is appreciated, such as the UK or Germany."

But I guess since you are post-career, maybe acting will be a hobby for you? OK, that's fine, but please try to avoid the melodrama. If what you want is ersatz Comedy Club, then say so. You are doing C-level work so far, but I know you can improve with time. You seem like a go-getter.

Americans blamed Republicans over President Barack Obama for the shutdown by a margin of 22 percentage points, with 53 percent saying the GOP deserved more blame, and 31 percent saying Obama did. Approval ratings for the Republican Party and the tea party were at 24 percent and 21 percent respectively -- both record lows as measured by NBC/WSJ.

“That is an ideological boomerang,” Bill McInturff, the GOP pollster who conducts the NBC/WSJ poll along with Democratic pollster Peter Hart, told NBC. “As the debate has been going on, if there is a break, there is a break against the Republican position.”

Perusing the above comments, I note that our left leaning readers either avoid or approve of the administration's thuggery across the nation during the shutdown. They would rather speak about poll numbers. As far as their tending toward autocracy, as has long been argued here, that is about the expected response.

Paul, it is very clear that the "break is against the Republican position." This is why they are going with Plan 7, which is to put off the debt ceiling debate until just before Thanksgiving Day, hoping against hope that Grandma will wag her finger and get the recalcitrant children to finally mind their manners.

That's actually at the root of the problem. The #tea-cock-us faction actually live in a different time zone, circa 1952, and they represent only a handful of census blocks in extremely red states. The Gang of 40 is about to be squashed in a very unpleasant display of partisan politics. Kind of like one of those old David Letterman shows where they tossed watermelons and other juicy gourds off of high buildings. SPLAT!!!

It's funny that this new deal will still keep the gov't closed, which is actually where these dumb asses are losing the public's sympathy. Just an amazing level of ass-whipery. But I do agree that this is a fatal flaw of the constitution, and it remains to be seen if the middle can hold.

If I were President Obama, I would identify the top ten census blocks of voters who support holding the debt ceiling hostage, and I would "gently suggest" that people contact these voters personally and help them get a grip on how the 21st century is going to work. Yep, that's how it goes "Chicago-style."

Now, to be clear, I think it is great that the stupid Republican Party, finally followed by idiot Boehner, are now expanding their negotiation demands to Just About Everything. Taking PPACA off the table was a necessary first step, but the walkback will not be be that easy.

If you are holding the debt ceiling--and opening back up the gov't--hostage to just general debt and deficit issues, you are gonna be in the weeds. The American people will not stand for it.

So, in summary, an extremely small number of voters in completely unimportant and gerrymandered congressional districts, in counties mostly in the south that have less influence on the cutting edge of 21st century progress that many Second and even Third World countries, managed to lock up the largest and most successful economy in the history of the planet.

I am actively researching these recalcitrant census blocks to find out how to take out their bishops and take their rooks. In the meantime, please be aware dear readers of RR that you are up against Hollywood and the Silly Clone Valley, where enormous amounts of money are produced on a daily basis. Your hilarious protests are treated with great comedy in the Sand Hill Road Halls of Money, so you will either continue to be museum pieces, or you can move to Idaho and form a compound to satisfy your inner demons.

Questions for Michael A - If the govt is 'shut down' - whence the money to dispatch folks to arrange orange cones to block off areas that are legal and safe for citizens to view Mt Rushmore from public roads? Why were WWII vets blocked from public areas, while illegal aliens were allowed to have their party on the same grounds? And I see that you view folks who have the distinction of being uber-wealthy as being your approved arbitors of what is right and proper. My, the left has come a long way from the 60's. When the dark skinned poor are dragging Mr Anderson off to the gallows, it will make an amusing audio with his plaints of "wait - I'm one of you!".

My role in this is to be an observer. What I see is a colossal mistake on the part of the Repubs and the decline on what was at one time an essential balance factor in our one party system. At this point it seems to be a rout with big business and the majority of the population going for the Dems. The Palace Rebellion is essentially over.

Burning Man is an imitation Bohemian Grove that bored and frustrated middle class white people (who lack the status they crave) can buy into to give their lives meaning; an escape they can look forward to the other 51 weeks of the year.

At least the Grovers have a spot that looks like the Forest Moon of Endor, not the bottom of a barbecue pit.

re poll in ToddJ's 901pm - Interesting how they managed to skew the sample of respondents so much more heavily for Obama voters than actually voted for him in the 2012 election. And about 16% work for all levels of government, yet their sample had 20% so employed. I suppose the remarkable thing about the poll is that with such a skewed sample, still so many disapproved of Obama's job performance and Obamacare.

And I would make a considerable bet that 9 out of 10 respondents have no idea what the basic tenets of the Tea Party are.

Todd is not one to look at for poll insights. Remember he was a devotee of some weird poll in the last election (unskewed poll or something like that) that was 13% off the mark. The WSJ poll is legitimate and was right on the money in the last election with Obama by 2.5. WSJ also reflects the views of big business and Wall Street and are lining for a frontal attack on the Tea Party which does not reflect their interests. They hate any kind of Populist movement which the TP's certainly are and will be in the future. When they start pulling their dough from the Pubs the roof will cave in. In my view the party will split into the party of big business (Republicans) and the Tea Party. It will create havoc for the Repubs in the next election but might serve the greater purpose of creating diversity in the future. Of course the Pubs and Dems control the Presidential debates so good luck on being invited to the big show.

More from Politico on how the Republican Party may become road kill due to the Tea Party.

"But the industry feels powerless when it comes to dealing with some members of the tea party, who are immune from one of Wall Street’s most potent tools: campaign donations.

“The extreme radicals are going to get reelected because they come from districts where they don’t need to raise that much money,” said Greg Valliere, chief political strategist of the Potomac Research Group. “This new tea party movement is not particularly pro-business. They certainly are not pro-Wall Street and pro-big banks. That is a new strain in the Republican party that worries many on Wall Street.”

The left and their polling compatriots are apoplectic in the desire to show the T's are to blame and now possibly going to lose the House. Then we have another set of polls that are showing the democrats may lose the Senate. Guess what the lamestream press sends out to those skulls full of oatmeal? Not this one.

Greg stuck his finger up his bum and found a plum: "Burning Man is an imitation Bohemian Grove that bored and frustrated middle class white people (who lack the status they crave) can buy into to give their lives meaning; an escape they can look forward to the other 51 weeks of the year."

Ahhhh.... The all knowing poll. One recent one sticks out.
There is this state call Colorado. Maybe some have heard of it?
The polls "said",, at least one seat was more than safe. The LIBS ran with it.
Later, the same poll outfit took another and that poll said the LIB was done.
THAT poll wasn't released because it didn't fit their agenda, and "it just couldn't be correct".. This was Blue territory it HAD t be wrong. The polling Co. buried it deep. " Things are just fine,, your seats are safe!"
Then,, election night hits. It seems the LIBS got the "poll" shoved where the Sun didn't shine.

These polling joints do exist. I'm one of the few that actually got called.
To the headline question, they ask you about 10 to 15 other questions.

Then there was the problem in the past where one particular polling Co. got strong armed by Holder and the boys, and an inquirery by the IRS. "Their poll"
didn't make "O" and the DEMS look good. Some may remember that.

Bottom line,, don't trust a LIB with "poll results". Manipulation of the findings is the new game in town.

Speaking of The Bee, in good LIB fashion, they jumped on the anti Tea Party
story. ( front page of course)
The GOP fails to understand that most of their donations came from "the little guy". Well,, the little guy is no longer going to send the donations to the GOP.
It's Tea Party bound these days.

Speaking of jealousy, Mike, how many rides in airplanes did all that volunteer work at the Black Rock Airports buy you? Imagine the freedom you'd have if you were able to walk to an airplane, keys in hand, and fly wherever you want, weather permitting, and not have to beg or pay for a ride from someone who can actually do it.

"The GOP fails to understand that most of their donations came from "the little guy". Well,, the little guy is no longer going to send the donations to the GOP.
It's Tea Party bound these days."

Thanks for verifying my view that there will be a split in the Pub Party Add the loss of Big Business doug and what do you get? A "giant sucking sound" from the vacuum of money leaving the party. Where have I heard that before?

George, you're welcome. It was coming down to the last minute so I checked the gov's news page and managed to catch it before it hit the news.

In a way, the gun nuts took a hit by the SB 374 veto, Steinberg's bill defining any rifle with a removable magazine as an assault rifle, banning their sale, requiring registration and fees for grandfathered weapons. It would have been a perfect vehicle for a SCOTUS case. Maybe Illinois will be silly enough to do it.

Greg asked a truly bizarre question:
"Speaking of jealousy, Mike, how many rides in airplanes did all that volunteer work at the Black Rock Airport buy you? Imagine the freedom you'd have if you were able to walk to an airplane, keys in hand, and fly wherever you want, weather permitting, and not have to beg or pay for a ride from someone who can actually do it."

The answer would be "zero." But what the hell kind of a question is this? It is wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where to begin. I thought you knew more about Burning Man than you apparently do. I would stop writing any more about it if I were you, unless you want to continue to approach Todd territory in your ignorance.

All that hanging around pilots, several of whom making numerous trips to Grass Valley, and you never made a solid enough connection with a pilot for them to gift you a trip home? After all that volunteering to make the airport run smoothly (or so your stories seem to imply)?

I'd give you a big Huell "that's Amazing!", but then the folks who you've name dropped that I know generally aren't in the business of giving flights away.

Really, Mike, if I want to get filthy and hang around middle class white people, I can stay in western Nevada County. Ten years ago I'd looked into Burning Man but even then, it appeared the good years were behind it.

Brown had a brief moment of sanity with his veto pen.
But I don't believe that will stop the wrath of the NRA descending
upon his head.
@ paul. The GOP forgets who really butters their bread. Hence the migration
of Conservative individuals from the GOP to the Tea Party. The GOP has not produced
as promised.
It fun to watch the Libs point their fingers and say " See!! The Repubs don't like the Tea Party! The "Right is splitting".. So about 10 or so old guard Repubs whine and cry because they personal power trip is coming to an end.

I recall some saying the Tea Party was irrelevant. That has been proven wrong where the House in concerned. The have shredded the "business as usual" rule book, and the masses like it.

Anyone who has paid attention knows that the IRS played a huge role in swaying the last election. ( the full blown political assault against the TP)
The good little LIB minions saw the damage the TP did in the mid terms and wasn't going to allow that to spoil the fun a second time in a row.
"O" made Nixon look like an amateur, a the LIBS, unlike the Repubs under Nixon didn't
do jack about it.

The IRS isn't going to be there to lend a helping had in just over a year.

Now with the latest stunt in sticking it to the people, and to "make it hurt as much as possible", Every LIB and RINO in the Senate may be out on their ear.

Do you think that the TP's reflect the beliefs of a majority of American voters? It's unlikely they will t go from the approximate 25% support they have now and become a majority. They are, however, an enduring and effective populist movement but they are killing their host-the Repub Party and will likely go on their own when the great correction happens and Big Business gives the Pubs an ultimatum. It;s the middle that wins elections and Obama owns that turf and while they own some real estate I can't see them getting any bigger and have likely peaked.

The question... how many airplane flights did all of Michael Anderson's work on the Black Rock Airport get him: "The answer would be "zero.""

Maybe the Black Rock Airport is uniquely different than any other airport, but it's hard to hang around any airport for, what, a good two or three months in total and not go flying. Assuming you're someone a pilot would like to take flying.

And that's in not in the Burning Man nirvana.

Michael, this tar baby is your creation; all that browbeating people here that they're missing something important, whose only real demographic overlap with the Burner crowd being that they're whites living in California.

And all your posts about the airport there would lead most to think you actually liked airplanes. What's up with that?

And yes, you should be sorry, about a great many things. Your bullcrap running story about your claimed art project that dumps on Juvinall, repeated ad infinitum, needs to stop, along with your lording over all the uninterested about your status as a longtime burner, and the intimation that just about everyone would be better human being if only they'd attend needs to be put to rest.

In my experience, neither Mormons, Moonies or Witnesses are so insistent.

Give it a rest. Most living in this part of the world know enough about it to have an informed opinion whether it is for them or not.

I think the BM simply attracts the nuts and the pervs and at a few thousand in number would not fill the outfield seats at a Giants game. You can always attract nutty people to things. Look at the "erotic Ball" in SF that I think MA has talked about being at. Now there is something to be proud of.

No MA, the BM is simply that, a BM and all the goofballs in California don't make a bit of difference to the well being of the country or to little children. God help you.

Lets try another way to get the point across there Paul.
History always provides.
Chicago and Detroit were built on capitalism Shining success stories of American "can do" capability, and the power of the free market. These are union towns I remind you.
Then Liberals got their hands on things. How are things there now under LIB leadership? Union greed drove out the auto and steel jobs to Japan and Southern states, and over regulation and taxation just about finished the job.
The anti gun BS and their gun free zones,(shoot here first) will probably do the trick.

YUP,,, Those two cities are a prime example of what is to come if the likes of "O" and Co. continue to govern.
It sure hasn't been a pretty sight s far.

The rest of you might get a kick out of some vintage Michael Anderson that he thought so highly of that he made the ugly email exchange he initiated with Debra Saunders public. Read it here:http://www.swans.com/library/art8/mpa001.html

His rhetoric hasn't changed much in the last 11 years, including the promise that he "will be keeping a close eye on "you and yours." Count on it."

Walt, those towns are the prime example of what happens when unions buy the town council. They donate, exact labor concessions and then recycle the money back to the council in washed dollar bills for campaigning. Vallejo and Stockton and now San Jose. All excellant examples.

Mike, you don't live in my head, you just visit from time to time when you write something inane or threatening. I thought your abusive emails to Saunders, years before you introduced me to your dark side, were more than over the top.

The "Bush Crime Family" was a nice touch.

This recurring mandersonation theme of watching others is more than a little creepy. It's an old schoolyard bully routine; grow up. Your more recent backing off a stated threat to arrange for Homeland Security to hassle a poster, that somehow anyone should know that little ol' Michael really couldn't do such a thing, glosses over what you were doing then and doing now: trying to intimidate people.

JoeK, thanks for showing all of the readers your infantile personality. Sooner or later you libs give us a true view of your intelligence, or in your case the lack of it. Too funny. Now go play hide and seek.